Baby Orajel Teething Gels Warning

Will You Stop Using Baby Teething Gels?

Teething hurts, but just how far will you go to give your tot some relief? Though tales of issues regarding the use of Baby Orajel and Anbesol have circulated via email and chatty moms on the playground for years, the FDA didn't issue a warning about the numbing gels until just this week. At issue? Benzocaine, the main ingredient in the products, can cause a rare condition called methemoglobinemia that limits the flow of oxygen through the body. While some doctors suggested that the level of Benzocaine in baby products wasn't strong enough to cause the condition, the FDA now warns that even low concentrations of the ingredient are unsafe for tots under 2-years-old.

Grandparents love to remind today's parents that they used to rub alcohol on baby's gums to ease the pain of incoming teeth. Do you think teething gels will become just another legend that we tell in the future?

My son choked on frozen waffles. I would not recommended them at all. I make my own baby food, and freeze it in ice cube trays. I stick a cube in one of those mesh baby feeder thingies and my daughter loves it! I also took a stuffed terrycloth rabbit someone gave her and got it wet, then threw that in the freezer.

I heard lots and lots of stories about how the teething gels didn't really help in the long run (help at first but are more sore later is generally how it went). Generally I don't pay much attention to that kind of story, but I also experienced something similar after a painful oral almost-surgery (complicated) - the gel would help for a while and then the pain would be back with a vengeance. So we didn't have any Orajel in the house. (Also I am hesitant to give my baby chemicals.)
Additionally, I have a very easy kid, and she popped teeth out like they were nothing. I was usually completely unaware that she was even working on a tooth.